Jan 6, 2016: North Korea conducts its fourth underground nuclear test, which it says was of a hydrogen bomb — a claim doubted by most experts

Feb 7, 2016: North Korea says it has placed another Earth observation satellite in orbit with its second successful space rocket launch

The 15-member council said it would "adopt expeditiously" a new sanctions resolution, but there was no indication that China would agree to US demands to include tougher measures.

Chinese ambassador Liu Jieyi said the council should adopt "a new resolution that will do the work of reducing tensions, of working toward denuclearisation, of maintaining peace and stability, and of encouraging a negotiating solution".

China can use its veto power to block any resolution that would significantly scale up sanctions against Pyongyang by, for instance, barring North Korean ships from ports or restricting oil deliveries.

US ambassador Samantha Power stressed that the new set of sanctions should "break new ground" and appealed to China to recognise "the grave threat to international peace and security" posed by Pyongyang's actions.

"There cannot be business as usual after two successive acts," Ms Power told reporters.

While the United States turned up the pressure to reach agreement on sanctions, Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin warned: "We should not be looking at an economic collapse of DPRK".

The council has imposed four sets of sanctions on North Korea since it first tested an atomic device in 2006.

There are 20 North Korean entities and 12 individuals on the UN sanctions blacklist, which provides for an assets freeze and a global travel ban.

What we know so far:

North Korea says it launched the Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite at 8:59am Sunday local time

The long-range rocket flew over the airspace of Okinawa, Japan, home to the US 7th Fleet